Every organization has an identity whether by design or default. Perception has been defined as the selective destruction of information.

There is just too much reality to absorb. For sanity’s sake, we leave some of it unnoticed. What’s left is what we perceive, and even that much is too much to keep track of. So the mind keeps on pruning, and what’s left after that is what we remember.

Logical, psychological, mysterious, full of surprises — names can make or break your branding strategy.

Your name is magical. It’s a powerful part of your brand. But its power is only half logical. The other half is mysterious — a matter of resonance — a spark that ignites, or fails to ignite, in the human psyche and memory.

The Athlete’s Foot was a legend in the annals of high-growth retailing. Pilobolus is a successful dance troupe. Each was named after a fungus. Is that reasonable?

Nike is mythological. Exxon doesn’t mean anything, but it sounds scientific, and the double-x sticks in your memory. Yahoo is a crude, offensive, brutish person…or a cry of enthusiasm. Take your pick. Read more of this post